Aftershocks
by theoofoof
Summary: Missing scenes/follow up for Aftershock Pt 2. Shandy
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Once again, thanks to Kadi219 for checking this over and picking up on all the British/American spelling conflicts.

* * *

Andy Flynn was in a trance. He stood on the roof of City Hall opposite his workplace – the Police Administration Building – and watched with a strange abstraction as a huge explosion ripped through the ninth floor. The floor which he had been on not fifteen minutes earlier. The floor where he had left the rest of his division and his fiancée.

For a few seconds, he could do nothing but stare at the scene. Just moments ago, pointing his gun at their suspect, he had been full of adrenaline, relishing being back in the field. Now, however, he was stunned into inactivity by the by the thick, grey smoke billowing out of the windows and the shower of debris falling to the ground.

He felt as if he couldn't breathe, an icy fist of dread closing around his heart. Images raced through his mind; terrible images. Sharon trapped under rubble, unable to move and in excruciating pain. Sharon sprawled on the floor, bloodied and burned. Sharon lying there frightfully still, her eyes closed and her face deathly pale.

Shouts and screams from the street below filtered through Andy's overwrought mind, bringing him back to the moment. Turning away from the devastation, his eyes fell on the dirtbag who had planted and detonated the bomb. Unbridled anger bubbled up inside Andy. He felt the weight of the gun in his hand but knew he couldn't fire on an unarmed man. So, stalking towards the bomber, Andy raised his gun and, without another thought, brought it crashing down into the side of his head.

Moments later back up arrived and Andy stepped away, allowing uniformed officers to restrain Christian Ortiz. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled Sharon's number. The call went straight to voicemail.

"No, no. Please God no," he pleaded. Fate couldn't be this cruel, he thought darkly. Not when they'd just gotten engaged. Not when she'd already gotten out of one explosion unscathed this week. Disconnecting the call, he scrolled further down the list of recent contacts, past Rusty, Nicole, Ricky until he found another member of the team. Provenza. He hit dial. This time it rang out.

Andy willed someone to answer. "Come on, come on," he muttered impatiently.

"Flynn!" Andy let out a sigh of relief as he heard his partner's gruff voice. "Oh Flynn, tell me you have that son of a bitch."

"Yeah, I got him. Are you okay? How is everybody? Is… Is Sharon…" Andy couldn't even bring himself to say the words.

"Just hold on. Hold on."

Time dragged as Andy listened intently, waiting for some indication from the other end of the line that Sharon was okay. Second seemed like hours. He thought the feeling of terror inside him would never disappear.

"Andy."

It was her! He closed his eyes, relief cursing through him. She was alive. Her voice was raspy and she sounded drained but she was alive.

"What are you doing over there?" Sharon coughed to clear her throat of some of the dust she'd inhaled. Andy took advantage of her pause, cutting her off before she could give him hell for disobeying his doctor's orders.

"It's just a walk across the street. And I'm the only guy this asshole didn't know. I'm more worried about you guys." His voice softened slightly. "Are you okay?"

"I can tell you," interjected Provenza, trying to lighten the mood, "the janitor's going to have a serious meltdown."

"We're okay. We're all go… we're going to be okay."

"Good. That's good. I…" He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he was conscious of the officers both at his end and the rest of the division on speaker at the other.

"I know. Me too." Another cough. "I will see you in a few minutes, Lieutenant."

"Yes Captain." Andy smiled. She was definitely going to be okay.

* * *

Andy hurried past the crowds of officer streaming out of PAB to the elevators. He pressed the 'call' button several times in quick succession, before realising that, due to the evacuation, they were out of order. Turning on his heel, he rushed to the stairwell. He took the stairs two at a time in his eagerness to get to Sharon. Arriving at the ninth floor, he leant against the wall, pausing to catch his breath, before opening the door. He didn't want to give Sharon any more reasons to worry about him.

The dust-filled atmosphere hit him as soon as he stepped into the corridor. The place was teeming with emergency personnel, assessing and triaging those involved in the explosion. Cables and tiles dangled from the ceiling like vines; some still sparking with what vestiges of energy they had left flowing through them. The emergency lighting was dim. Andy squinted, hoping to see better through the dust and darkness, but let seven years of familiarity guide him through the halls. He wandered the devastated corridors, searching frantically for Sharon, his eyes darting around the hallway.

He almost collided with Julio as the detective rounded the corner near the break room. "You okay?" Andy asked, his hand clasping the younger man's shoulder.

"I'm fine, sir," Julio assured him. "We're all-"

"Ah Lieutenant Flynn," interrupted Chief Pope as he appeared behind Julio. "I believe you were quite the hero today."

"I… er…was just doing my job Chief."

"Not according to your doctor," Pope quipped.

Andy just about managed not to roll his eyes. "I did what needed to be done." He shuffled from one foot to the other, eager to get away from this conversation and find Sharon. He watched over Chief Pope's shoulders as paramedics and firefighters came and went with casualties, but he couldn't spot Sharon among them.

"Yes well, I'm sure your Captain will have something to say about that. Where's the suspect? You didn't shoot him, did you?" The last thing he needed after an explosion on his watch, was FID on his back about an officer involved shooting.

When Andy didn't respond, Julio gave him a nudge. Andy refocused his gaze on the detective. "Ow. What the hell?"

Julio supressed a smirk. "The Chief was asking about the suspect sir."

"Oh, yeah right." He turned to Chief Pope. "Uniforms have him secured downstairs."

"Good. Good." No OIS. If he was lucky, he'd maybe even get the FBI to bear the cost of prosecuting this. Blowing up a police station, no matter the motivation, was still an act of terror. Every cloud had a silver lining and he might have just found one.

"I did hit him with my gun though," admitted Andy. "Probably an excessive use of force."

Pope sighed; or perhaps not. Not that he could blame the lieutenant for his actions. He'd have probably done the same if he'd thought his team and fiancée had been blown up. It was the same reason Flynn couldn't wait to get away from him now. "Right, well. Thank you gentlemen." He gave them both a nod as he passed them, before turning back with a smirk. "Oh and Lieutenant Flynn."

Andy let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes Chief?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Captain Raydor is around the corner."

This time Julio couldn't help it. He laughed out loud as the Chief left, an extremely satisfied grin on his face.

Muttering a few quiet curses, Andy rushed past Julio in the direction Pope had indicated. His eyes fell on Sharon as soon as he got around the corner. She was seated on the floor against the wall. His eyes widened to see an oxygen mask on her face.

"You said you were okay!" he exclaimed, kneeling down at her side.

Sharon lifted her hand to remove the mask, but Provenza, who sat next to her, put a hand on her arm to stop her. "It's just a precaution," he explained to his partner. "She was having a little trouble breathing, what with all the dust."

Sharon shook off Provenza's hand and lifted the mask. "I'm okay," she croaked. "Andy, what were you thinking. You could have-" She began coughing, the dust irritating her throat and making it impossible for her to continue.

Andy covered her hand with his and helped her put the mask in place. "Sssh," he soothed, cupping her cheek. "You can chew me out for breaking the rules later, okay?"

She nodded, leaning her head into his hand. The lack of oxygen from her breathing difficulty had left her tired and woozy.

"Here Flynn," Provenza called, "give me a hand up and I'll see about getting her out of here. This dust isn't helping."

Andy stood and held out a hand to pull his partner up from the floor. He groaned at the effort it took. "Geez, old man, would it hurt you to eat more of those salads Patrice keeps making you?"

Provenza wagged his finger at Andy. "Now you listen here," He was interrupted by another bout of coughing from Sharon. He glanced down; she was pale and her eyelids were drooping "This is not over," he continued as he went looking for help. "There will be a conversation."

Chuckling at how easily he could wind his partner up, Andy lowered himself gently to floor and settled next to Sharon. He raised an eyebrow as she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

She merely shrugged; she needed to feel close to him. When she'd heard his voice over the phone and realised that he'd taken himself across the street she'd been both surprised and worried.

Andy reached for her hand, interlacing their fingers. "I think we're even now."

"Hmmm?" she asked.

"Y'know, health scares, close calls… Scaring the other half to death."

Sharon considered his words and shook her head. She pulled the oxygen mask away from her face. "Not quite." Letting the mask fall back into place, she pointed at him and held up three fingers, before pointing to herself and holding up only two.

"Ah but I had to watch you be almost blown up twice in the space of three days? That's gotta be worth more."

Sharon shook her head again. "Nuh-uh."

Andy arched an eyebrow at her chosen expression and shook his head. "What are you? Five? You've been spending too much time with my grandkids."

They'd taken them to the beach the previous weekend. She'd spent hours playing with them; building sand castles, chasing them through the waves, splashing and kicking up water. Andy loved watching her with them – how gentle she was with them, the sound of her carefree laughter as the boys splashed her with water, the fairness with which she refereed the boys' disagreements. That could have been the last time they'd seen her. The last time he'd gotten to see how the love and affection she felt for him also encompassed his family. Andy shuddered at the thought.

Sensing where his thoughts had taken him she squeezed his hand, reiterating that she was still here. That she was okay.

Provenza returned then; a paramedic and stretcher in tow. "Captain Raydor, we want to send you down to St Leo's, and have them observe you for a bit." She shook her head.

"Sharon," pleaded Andy. "Let them do their jobs. There's nothing any of us can do here now anyway. They need to assess for structural damage before we can even start clearing up."

"It's just until your breathing returns to normal. Any luck," continued the paramedic, "and you'll be out of there in time for dinner."

"Okay," nodded Sharon, her voice muffled by the mask, "but no stretcher."

Andy shook his head and helped Sharon to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her and, picking up the oxygen tank she was currently attached to, supported her as they made their way slowly down their stairs.

Sharon blinked as they stepped out into the bright Los Angeles sunshine and leant further into Andy to steady herself.

"Mom!" The shout came from the crowd, behind the police cordon and Andy glanced up to see Rusty slip past the officer and rush towards them. "Oh my god, Mom!" The young man gathered Sharon into a hug, squeezing her tightly.

Andy placed a comforting hand on Rusty's shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's okay kid. It's okay."

* * *

 **A/N2:** I have an idea for a second chapter, dealing with the clean up/Sharon's promotion, if you guys want it that is. Be sure to let me know.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for all the feedback. Here is chapter two as promised. Once again thanks to my beta for taking the time to check this over.

Also, to the guest reviewer who commented that "we never saw [Andy] call Sharon's cell phone after the bomb blast"... the show cut from one scene to another without showing what happened in between - so I'm filling in the gaps with what I like to think happened. That's why the summary says 'missing scenes/follow ups'.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

By lunchtime the next day, the ninth floor of PAB was declared safe and the clean-up operation began. Piles of boxes containing items and files recovered from the now derelict murder room lined the corridor.

Provenza had offered to help the bomb squad coordinate the search of the other divisions around the city to make sure that all of Ortiz's bombs were accounted for - protesting that he did not clean - and Tao had been attached to the Information Technology Division for the division for the day to help with the technical side of the clean-up.

That left Andy, Amy, Julio, Nolan and Buzz to sort through the contents of their office. Wearing protective masks in case of any lingering dust particles, they skimmed through files and papers whilst keeping one eye on the conversation that was taking place down the hall. The conversation between Sharon and Deputy Chief Howard.

"Can you take a minute?" Deputy Chief Howard asked Sharon. "Join me in the Assistant Chief's office?"

The team looked at each other expectantly. This was it. The promotion race that had been hanging over their heads for months was finally over. The only question that remained now was who had won that race.

Sharon's eyes widened at Deputy Chief Howards words. They could only mean one thing; Chief Pope had made his decision. And the fact that her presence was wanted filled her with dread. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she couldn't form any words.

"For something," continued Fritz, "that I think is a good surprise."

"Oh my God! If you're not Assistant Chief, then I…"

Fritz didn't let her finish. " _You_ are being asked for."

Sharon shook her head. "That is not a good surprise." She really didn't want the job. She didn't want to leave her position as head of Major Crimes. She enjoyed the job and the camaraderie she'd built up with her team.

"The alternative would have been Winnie Davis. Just come with me Captain." Sharon fell into step beside him. "If I can still call you that for the next minute or so."

"This is it," Andy said proudly, as he watched Fritz lead Sharon down the hall. "She's Assistant Chief."

"Or it's Fritz," countered Amy.

"Anyone but Davis," Buzz added.

"It has to be the Captain," insisted Wes. "Can they ignore what she just did here?"

Julio scoffed. "Oh yeah? Watch." He glanced down into the box he was sorting through and chuckled. "Hey. Check this out." He was holding Provenza's bobble-head doll. "Roaches, rats and Provenza," he gave the bobble head a flick, "they can survive anything."

Laughter filtered through the group as Julio put the bobble head and Provenza's change jar into the 'keep' box. Nolan, Amy and Buzz went back to the task at hand, but Andy couldn't tear his gaze away from the door further down the hall through which Sharon had disappeared. A few minutes later, Deputy Chief Howard slipped back into the hallway.

"Everything okay, Chief?" called Andy, drawing the attention of the other members of the team.

Deputy Chief Howard nodded. "It is. I'm just heading back to my office at Piper Tech. See you guys later."

"Oh, so not Fritz then," observed Amy.

Julio looked at her. "You disappointed Sykes?"

"Well, he wasn't the worst choice."

"He was never going to get it," reiterated Andy. "The department would never had accepted a former FBI agent on a permanent basis."

Wes put the lid on the box he'd been filling and moved it to the other side of the corridor. "I'll say it again; it has to be the captain." He picked up another box and began the onerous task of searching through it.

"Well, we'll know soon enough," Andy said, his eyes still fixed on the door. Part of him really wanted Sharon to get the job. She deserved it, after all she had given to the job over the years. First on patrol, where she'd quickly risen through the ranks. Then she'd re-written the entire LADP rulebook when she moved to Internal Affairs – whilst also taking on the role of Women's Co-ordinator. Her last five years in Major Crimes weren't exactly restful either. As much as it pained him to admit it, she'd completely turned the division around – they were no longer seen as a maverick troublesome unit. She'd successfully implemented the new deal making approach that Pope and Taylor had wanted. She should get the job – if there was any justice in the world, Sharon would be the new Assistant Chief.

If Pope chose Sharon, they'd all keep their jobs. Sharon would keep Major Crimes open, but it wouldn't be the same - she'd move out of the Murder Room and into the large office down the hall and Provenza would be promoted to Captain. Andy liked to think that she would let him back out into the field but he wasn't convinced. Sharon was big on following doctors' orders and at the moment, those orders were still light duty only.

He'd never get back out there if Winnie Davis was promoted. No, if she got the job, Major Crimes was gone for sure. He and Provenza would almost certainly be retired and goodness knows what she'd do to Sharon. The rest of the team would be reassigned. After the stunt he pulled in the murder room last week, Nolan would surely be directing traffic in San Pedro.

Then there was the third candidate. Mason. He was an unknown entity. Sharon had told him, in confidence, about the deal the two of them had made to keep the other's divisions but you never could tell with bureaucrats. Did their word mean anything at all?

All he knew, was that change was coming. Significant change. For all of them.

"Hey. What's this?" Nolan's voice caught Andy's attention and he turned towards him. The younger detective was holding up a small red beanbag that Andy recognised all too well.

"That would be mine." Andy reached up, snatching it from Nolan's grip and putting it in his pocket. But not before Julio worked out what it was.

"You still have that?" Julio asked.

Andy shrugged, a small smile on his lips.

"Where did you hide it sir? I searched your desk about a week after that case and it was gone!"

Andy shrugged. "I kept it at home. But it returned to my desk when I sold my house."

"Does the captain know you have it?" asked Buzz.

Andy shook his head. "No. Why do you think it came back to the office when I moved into the Condo?" He looked at Julio. "Although now I'm thinking I need to find another place to keep it. How the hell did you get in my desk?"

"I picked the lock," Julio replied nonchalantly. He held out his hand. "Here, I'll give you twenty bucks for it."

Amy and Nolan shared a perplexed look before Amy raised her hand. "Okay, I'm confused. Why all this fuss over some old bean-bag?"

"Oh, this isn't just any old bean-bag Sykes," Julio began. "Oh no. This is legendary. It was about six years ago and we'd chased down an assassin who'd shot at DDA Hobbs..."

Andy stood back and listened as Julio and Buzz recounted the story of how Sharon had taken down the guy with the bean bag gun, shooting him right-between the eyes.

"We'll show you the squad car video sometime," Julio offered. "I'm telling you, I have never seen anyone, before or since, shoot as well with one of those beanbag guns."

Sykes' eyes narrowed in confusion as she turned to Andy. "And you kept the beanbag Lieutenant?" she asked. "All this time?"

Andy shrugged once more. "What can I say? She was pretty badass that day."

"Yeah, we all fell a little bit in love with her that day," agreed Julio. He inclined his head at Flynn, who was glaring at him. "Some of us more than others."

* * *

Word soon got to Provenza and Tao that Sharon had been summoned to the Assistant Chief's office, so they made their way back to the ninth floor to find out for themselves what was happening.

"How long's she been in there?" Provenza asked impatiently as he arrived, slightly out of breath.

Andy, who was now pacing the hallway, looked at his watch. "About twenty minutes. It's gotta be her right? Why else would she be in there that long?"

No sooner had Andy spoken than the door opened and Sharon walked out. Tao nodded in her direction. "Looks like we're about to find out."

The team looked up expectantly as Sharon approached.

"Well?" Andy asked impatiently, his arms flung open in exasperation.

" _Please_ put us out of our misery Captain," begged Provenza.

Sharon turned to Provenza. "I do hope Patrice didn't work too hard on plans for redecorating my office. I'm afraid they will need to be shelved. For the time being at least."

Andy's brow furrowed. "Wait, you're not Assistant Chief?"

She shook her head slowly. "No."

"Ye Gads," exclaimed Provenza. "Please tell me it's not Winnie Davis."

"It is not," Sharon confirmed, trying not to sound too pleased about that fact.

"And we already know it's not Fritz, so that just leaves-"

"Mason?" interrupted Andy. "Really?"

" _Assistant Chief_ Mason," Sharon corrected. "It's a good fit." The meeting she had with him had been productive and, while his vision for Major Crimes may involve a little more work on her part, Sharon was excited by his vision for the department.

Julio stepped forward. "I know you didn't want it, Ma'am, but I'm still sorry it's not you. You would have been good at the job."

Sharon smiled. "Thank you Julio."

"Is he keeping Major Crimes?" Buzz asked. Next to the identity of the new Assistant Chief, that was the question they all wanted answered.

"Major Crimes is safe, yes." A collective sigh of relief came from the team. Sharon hesitated to burst their happy bubble. "There will, however, be some changes."

Provenza groaned and dropped his head to his hands.

Sharon toyed with the black box in her hand. "Don't worry Lieutenant. It's not all bad."

Andy was the first to notice what she was holding and his eyes widened as realisation dawned. "Did they…"

She nodded, a bashful smile on her face as Andy beamed proudly at her. The team exchanged confused looks.

"I may not have gotten the job I interviewed for, but I did get a promotion." She held up the box and smiled. "Chief Mason has made me a Commander."

"It's about time," announced Julio.

Provenza nodded. "Congratulations."

The rest of the team followed suit, offering their congratulations. Amy and Buzz also gave her a hug. Andy held back, allowing his colleagues to speak to their captain. But once they had, he walked towards her and embraced her. He kissed her gently on the cheek, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate anything more at work, and then whispered in her ear. "It's no less than you deserve."

They pulled back from their embrace, but Andy kept an arm around her back. "This calls for a celebration," he announced, appealing to her sense of occasion.

She leant into him, toying with his tie. "We will celebrate," she promised. "Later. But for now, we still have boxes to sort through and I think I would like to see the damage to my office and the Murder Room. Andy, will you come with me please?"

She told herself she chose Andy to accompany her because she didn't want him lifting heavy boxes but the truth was she was nervous about how she would react being back in there, seeing all the damage. She would take more strength from Andy's presence than anyone else's and he would know what comfort and support to offer should she find she needed it.

Andy nodded, motioning to the devastated Murder Room. "Of course. After you… Commander."

* * *

 **A/N2:** There may possibly be a third chapter - not sure yet. But I have a couple of ideas floating around my head.


End file.
